Watch this short introductory video to get an overview of the methods used in the recruitment process. The presenter explains that recruiting the right person depends on the business following a series of clear steps, thereby ensuring that its recruitment is efficient, effective, and equitable. The section below goes through these methods in a little more detail.

The main (typical) steps in the recruitment process are:

1.  Job analysis

This is the process of examining what a particular job involves. The analysis enables the HR department to determine the roles, tasks, duties, responsibilities and skills required to do the job. The job analysis is needed to formulate the job description and person specification.

For example, a job analysis for an IB teacher might include the need to teach Theory of Knowledge (TOK), supervise students for their Extended Essay, and participate in the school’s CAS (Creativity, Activity, and Service) programme, in addition to their teaching responsibilities.

2.  Job description

The job description is a succinct document containing particulars of a job. It will usually include the job title (e.g., Head of History Department), roles and responsibilities (e.g., to lead teaching and learning in History), and other duties (e.g., to participate in extra-curricular activities at the school). The job description enables potential candidates to know what is required of them. It also helps recruiters to decide which candidate to hire, based on their ability to perform the job.

3.  Person specification

This is an official and concise document that contains details of the attributes and qualities of the ideal person for a particular job. It is based on the job analysis and job description, so outlines the profile of the best candidate needed to fill a job vacancy. For example, it will specify the required or preferred qualifications (e.g., post-graduate degree), experience (e.g., teaching experience), knowledge (e.g., of IB History), skills (e.g., ICT), and personality (e.g., good sense of humour). The person specification is used to ensure greater objectivity in the selection process.

4.  Job evaluation

This is an assessment and review of the value of a job (e.g., Head of History) in relation to other jobs in the organization (e.g., Head of Mathematics), so that the remuneration and other rewards can be determined in an objective, transparent, and fair manner. Note that this is about the job itself rather than the performance of the person doing the job.

A common method of differentiating pay is the use of a salary points scale, which ranks jobs based on factors such as the level of responsibility, skills, and experience. Essentially, a salary scale is used as a measure of the level of importance of each job.

5.  Job advertisements

Job adverts are formal communications after job analysis announcing the vacant post. They are produced and released after completing the previous four steps in the recruitment process. Note that job adverts can be placed internally (for internal recruitment of staff) and/or externally, such as in newspapers, employment agencies, online websites, or through professional head hunters.

6.  Shortlisting

After the job advert goes out, candidates apply for the vacant post, using any combination of an application form, covering letter of application and a curriculum vitae (or résumé). This document contains details of the applicant’s educational and professional qualifications, employment history (work experience), accomplishments, skills, and personal interests. The cover letter is a short introductory letter written by the applicant explaining why s/he is applying for the role and why they consider themself to be suitable for the position.

Shortlisting is the process of employers selecting the most suitable applicants and inviting them for a job interview. The process is based on matching the candidates that best match the job description and person specification, thereby removing unsuitable or incompatible applicants from the recruitment process.

7.  Interviews

Once shortlisted candidates are determined, they are invited for a job interview. The interview enables the employer representatives to ask a series of questions to the applicants in order to assess the extent to which they might fit the job and the organization. Commonly asked questions in a job interview include:

1. Why are you interested in this position (job)?

2. What do you look forward to when you wake up in the morning and why?

3. What are your main strengths and weaknesses?

4. Tell me about a time you worked with a difficult person / faced a challenging situation, and what you learned from the process?

5. Why do you want to leave your current position / job role?

6. What would your co-workers say about you?

7. What are your salary expectations?

8. What can you do this year that you were unable to do last year?

9. Where do you see yourself in 5 years' time?

10. Why should we hire you?

For a list of 20 common interview questions, take a look at the information from The Balance here.

For some jobs, it is necessary to include some form of testing in order to select (appoint) the most appropriate person for the job. For example, a prospective teacher might be asked to teach a lesson, whilst the recruiters observe how the candidates interacts with and engages the students. Similarly, a candidate applying to be a television newsreader will be asked to perform several tasks such as reading from a script whilst grasping the viewers’ attention.

8.  Selection

Once all candidates for the vacant post have been interviewed, the panel of interviewers can select the most suitable person to offer the job. The panel will refer back to the job description and person specifications, and consider feedback from the interviews in order to make their decision. This keeps the selection process objective rather than subjective - this is important as hiring the right person raises productivity and eliminates the need to rehire someone else if the wrong person was initially selected. The recruiters also have to observe equal opportunities laws, so cannot discriminate applicants on the basis of their gender, age, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation.

9.  Background checks and references

Before making a job offer, the recruiters need to make final background checks. For example, teachers need to have background checks to confirm they are fit to work with young people, and do not hold a criminal record. They also need their qualifications confirmed. Most employers will also insist on getting references from two or more referees, one of whom should be the applicant’s current or last employer. These checks and references help to ensure the candidate is honest and truthful.

10.  Job offer

Finally, once all checks and references are confirmed, the most outstanding candidate is formally offered the job. Once s/he agrees, the human resources manager will prepare a contract of employment between the employer and employee. In some cases, the contract is offered subject to a satisfactory medical test. If a successful candidate is chosen and accepts the job offer, the recruitment process is concluded.

A job offer is the final stage in recruitment